HISTORY - ~ Al-Imam Al-A'zam, Abu Hanifa (r.a.) (699-767)

Al-Imam Al-Azam Abu Hanifa (ra), one of the most prominent figures
ofthe Islamic world, was a foresighted and highly insightful scholar.
His sound personality and profound fear of Allah were greatly
instrumental in his being embraced by the Islamic world.
Abu Hanifa (ra) was a very intelligent sharia scholar who always kept
his mind on the remembrance of Allah , meticulously observed Allah's
bounds, avoided vain and unbeneficial talk, and concisely responded to
questions. He attached great importance to what was entrusted to him.
He was a person who kept hislower-self under control in all
circumstances. He was a person of great compassion. The objections and
unbecoming words he faced throughout his life never daunted him from
his services rendered for the cause of Allah.
He possessed a pure wisdom that Allah grantedhim. He never experience
any breakdown in his line of thought and never ran behind in
responding. If anyone acted stubbornly or raised difficulties, he
tried to teach him the morality of Islam in the most calm and gracious
manner.
Imam Hanifa devoted a great part of his life to knowledge. Among his
principles were trusting in what was reliable, avoiding the
unreliable, tending towards the one that did not stir up troubleamong
people and ensuring that no complications arose .
The method employed by Al-Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) inassessing issues was
based on the following seven principles:
Book: The pillar of the Religion and the strong rope of Almighty Allah.
Sunnah: Explanation of Allah's Book that provided details regarding
the general provisions.
The Accounts: The accounts of the Companions who transmitted the
"risalat" and personally witnessed the revelations.
Comparison: A method resorted to by sharia scholars in the absence of
evidence about an issue inthe Qur'an, the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas)
or a statement of a Companion.
Istihsan: The particular judgment of a Sharia scholar that makes it
necessary for him to abandon previous judgments he made for similar
issues relying on an evidence such as a nass (injunction), ijma, a
state of necessity, concealed qiyas or recommendations.
İjma: The consensus of sharia scholars on any issue in any age. All
scholars agreed that ijma is an "evidence".
Tradition: The practices of Muslims about any issue inwhich no nass
(injuction) exists in the Qur'an, Sunnah and the practices of the
Companions.
Al-Imam Al-A'zam, Abu Hanifa
AL-IMAM AL-AZAM ABU HANIFA, THE IMAM OF OUR SCHOOL, STATED THAT THE
DESCENT OF THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) AND THE APPEARANCE OF HAZRAT MAHDI
(AS) ARE THE "ISSUES THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY"
Fiqh al-Akbar and the Wasiyyat , the two risalets of Abu Hanifa, are
the most precious and earliest texts on Islamic creed. The Fiqh
al-Akbar of Abu Hanifa is the fundamental book of Ahl al-Sunnah. In
this work, Imam Azam Abu Hanifa relates that thedescent of the Prophet
Jesus (as) and the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) as the "issues that
are impossible to deny":
The appearance of the dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise
from the West, the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky and
other portentsof the Day of Judgment informed by trustworthy hadiths
are right and they will happen. There are alsoother great portents of
theDay of Judgment, like the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). All these
happenings are correct , as brought and related by trustworthy
hadiths. and they will accordingly happen. (Translation of Fiqh
al-Akbar, Al-Imam Al-Azam Abu Hanifa, Prepared by Ali Riza Kasheli,
p.99)
The appearance of dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise from
the West,the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky andother
portents of the Day of Judgment are right, as the trustworthy accounts
relate us, and they will happen. (Abu Hanifa, Nu'man ibn Sabid
(150/767), Fiqh al-Akbar , Translated by: H. Basri Chantay, Ankara,
1982)
When the Day of Judgment will come, Prophet Jesus (as) will descend on
Earth and thus all nations will come to become a singlenation as an
Islamic nation. Before the advent of Prophet Jesus (as), Hazrat Mahdi
(as) will appear in the realmsof Mecca and Medina and then arrive to
Jerusalem. Then dajjal will come and remain with him. Prophet Jesus
(as), on the other hand, will come down from the East Minaret in
Damascus to render the dajjal ineffective and there he will make him
ineffective by a blow. When Prophet Jesus (as) descends, dajjal will
dissolve and disappear as if salt dissolves in water. Then Prophet
Jesus (as) will meet Hazrat Mahdi (as). Meanwhile they will
praytogether.

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QUR'AN AYATH EXPLANATION :- ~ THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE

Edwin Hubble with his giant telescope
In the Qur'an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago at a time
when the science of astronomy was still primitive, the expansion ofthe
universe was described in the following terms:
And it is We Who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily,
it isWe Who are steadily expanding it. (Qur'an, 51:47)
The word "heaven," as stated in the verse above, is used in various
places inthe Qur'an. It is referring to space and the wider universe.
Here again, the word is used with this meaning, stating that the
universe "expands." The Arabic word " moosiaaoona " in the term" inna
lamoosiaaoona ," translated into English as " it is We Who are
steadilyexpanding it ", comes from the verb " evsea ," meaning "to
expand." The prefix "la" emphasises the following name or title and
adds a sense of "to a great extent." This expression therefore means
"We expand the sky or the universe to a great extent." This is the
very conclusion that science has reached today. 1
Georges Lemaitre
Until the dawn of the 20 th century, the only view prevailing in the
world of science was that "the universe has a constant nature and it
has existed since infinite time." However, modern research,
observations, and calculations carried out by means of modern
technology have revealed that the universe in fact had a beginning and
that it constantly "expands."
At the beginning of the 20 th century, the Russian physicist Alexander
Friedmann and the Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaitre theoretically
calculated that the universe is in constant motion and that it is
expanding.
From the moment of the Big Bang, the universe has been constantly
expanding at a great speed. Scientists compare the expanding universe
to the surface of a balloon that is inflated.
This notion was confirmedby the use of observational data in 1929.
While observing thesky with a telescope, Edwin Hubble, the American
astronomer, discovered that the stars and galaxies were constantly
moving away from each other.

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QUR'AN AYATH EXPLANATION :- ~ THE COMING OF THE UNIVERSE INTO EXISTENCE

Until the mid-20 th century,the prevalent view across the world was
that the universe was infinite, had existed forever and that it will
continue to do so for all time. According to this view, known as the
"static universe model," the universe had no end or beginning.
In maintaining that the universe is a collection of fixed, static and
unchanging substances, this view has constituted the basis of
materialist philosophy and has consequently rejected the existence of
a Creator. However, as science and technology progressed during the 20
th century, the static universe model has been completely uprooted.
We have now entered the 21 st century and a new dawn is upon us.
Through numerous experiments, observations and calculation conducted
by some of the world's most prominent thinkers, modern physics has
proven that the universe did indeed have a beginning, that it came
into being from nothing ina single moment in a hugeexplosion.
Furthermore, it has been established that the universe is not fixed
and static, as materialists still stubbornly maintain. On the
contrary, it is undergoing a constant process of movement, change and
expansion. These recently-establishedfacts all act as nails in the
coffin of the static universe theory. Today, all these facts are
universally accepted by the scientific community.
The origin of the universe is described in the Qur'an in the following verse:
He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. (Qur'an, 6:101)
This information is in full agreement with the findings of
contemporary scientists. As we stated earlier, the conclusion
thatastrophysics has reached today is that the entire universe,
together with the dimensions of matter and time, came into existence
as a result of a great explosion that occurred a long time ago. This
event, known as "The Big Bang," is the catalyst for the creation of
the universe from nothingness. This explosion, all parties in
thescientific community agree, emanated from a single point some 15
billion years ago. (See Harun Yahya, The Creation of the Universe ,
Al-AttiquePublishers Inc. Canada, 2000)
Before the Big Bang, there was no such thing as matter. From a
condition of non-existence in which neither matter, nor energy, nor
even time existed-and which can only be described
metaphysically-matter, energy, and time were all created in an
instant. This fact, only recently discovered by modern physics, was
announced tous in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago.
The sensitive sensors on board the COBE space satellite, launched by
NASAin 1992, captured evidentiary remnants of the Big Bang. This
discovery served as evidence for the Big Bang, which is the scientific
explanation of the fact that the universe was created from nothing.

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ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ Life of this world is temporary

Throughout the world, all people, without exception,talk about or at
least thinkabout one issue at one point in their lives: living along
life, and to avoid dying if at all possible... Scientists have been
devoting serious effort to this end for many centuries, and have tried
to find formulas to make people live a longer life. However, to this
day, no progress has been made. Hence, with the verse, "Wedid not give
any human being before you immortality. And if you die, will they then
be immortal? Every self will taste death. We test you with both good
and evil as a trial. And you will bereturned to Us," (Surat
al-Anbiya': 34-35) Allah instructs us that each person was created
mortal, a fact which each will certainly face at his appointed time.
Regardless of the fact that people refrain from thinking or accepting
the reality of death, the truth is that mankind is mortal. In any
case, this worldly life is exceedingly short and transient. Each one
is sent to this world in order to be tested for a period oftime
ranging from sixty toseventy years. Therefore, itwould be a great
mistake for anyone to base his plans on this worldly life alone, to
accept this short-lived sojourn as his true life, and to forget the
hereafter where he will live forever.
This fact stands out clear and simple so that all can easily
comprehend it. Yet, as indicated in the following verse: "He Who
created death and life to test which of you is best in action. He is
the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving," (Surat al-Mulk: 2) Allah adorned
this world in order to create this environment inwhich man will be
tested. One should not be deceived by the fact that some people
compete with each other to maximize their enjoymentof these worldly
blessings.Because, as the verses of the Qur'an indicate, those who
live in negligence could in no way be deemed a group one should
measure up to. Those, who strive to accumulate and heap up belongings,
sacrifice their beliefs in order to acquire authority, and who play
roles to earn the appreciation or approbation of others, are in fact
running after illusory ideals. To suppose that this worldly life is
real, and to run hopelesslyafter mundane benefits and rewards, is just
as illogical, comical and humiliating as mistaking the scenes of a
play for reality.
However, it should always be kept in mind that, not only those who
devote themselves to this worldlylife, but also those who expend
effort to acquire benefits both in this worldand the hereafter, are
deluded. The life of this world was created as a blessing for mankind.
While they are here, people should make the best possible use of its
many splendors, and enjoyits many blessings. Yet, one should never
idealize nor run after these blessings with excessive desire or
ambition. He should utilize them all to live according to the religion
in the best possible manner, to appreciate Allah, and to give thanks,
after having recognized that which has been bestowed upon him by
Allah. Acting in accordance with such reasoning as, "I can lead a life
both to gain Allah's consent and to make the best use of the benefits
of the worldly life," would bea thought-pattern damaging to one's
sincerity.
In the following verse, referring to some of His prophets, Allah
reminds mankind that the behaviorof those who keep solely the
hereafter in mind are the best in merit with Him:
And remember Our servants Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub, men of true
strength and inner sight.We purified their sincerity through
sincereremembrance of the Abode. In Our eyes they are among the best
of chosen men. (Surah Sad: 45-47)
Nevertheless, Allah bestows the greatest worldly blessings upon those
who sincerely turn to Him and desire the hereafter. Thus, one who
distances himself from sincerity by saying, "Let me have both this
world and the next," will in the end be deprived of both. One who
longs for the hereafter alone will gain the blessings both of this
world and the next.
Similarly, renown Turkish scholar Bediuzzaman Said Nursi said, "The
secret of this matter lies in sincerity.The transient pleasures of
this world become an ultimate purpose for thosewho have not succeeded
to attain spiritual purity. Thus, the acts done by these people for
the hereafter are effected by these pleasures, and their sincerity is
tainted. Because worldly objectives, pleasures couldnot be sought
along with deeds to earn otherworldly rewards. If so, sincerity is
harmed." 1 He underlined that the aim to gain both worldly and
otherworldly benefits emerge from a soul defficient in its education.
Such thinking diminishes sincerity, and prevents onefrom performing
pious deeds aimed at the hereafter.
In another of his works, Said Nursi noted that only those "who assume
that the world is a guest house" could hope to lead the best and
happiest of lives.

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